Build It
The Lighthouse
A little light to guide the way.
A lighthouse waits in the darkness. With each touch, its beacon grows brighter, reaches farther across the water, and reveals more of the nighttime world.
Boats emerge, the moon begins to glow, and little lights appear across the ocean.
The Lighthouse is part of the Build It collection: simple interactive stories where a few touches create something wonderful to watch.
Included with the membership ($36/year)
Peek Inside
Light the Horizon
One touch brings a light. Another reaches across the water. Keep going and see what the lighthouse reveals.
How it works
Learners can touch anywhere on the screen.
Each touch advances the story, gradually bringing more light and detail into the scene.
The predictable sequence provides opportunities for looking, anticipation, and simple cause-and-effect exploration.
After the final scene has been enjoyed, the experience resets for another turn.
No precise targeting or complicated controls are required.
Four ways to see the story
The Lighthouse includes four visual support levels.
- Basic Shapes: A clean lighthouse outline on a black background, with selectable visual support colors.
- Clean Icon & Glow: A simplified lighthouse with a softly glowing beacon.
- Added Scenery: A twilight coastline with simple background details.
- Full Journey: A more complete nighttime seascape with boats, moving light beams, a moon, and additional discoveries.
These presentations allow adults to adjust the amount of visual information without changing the familiar story.
Make it your own
Teachers and caregivers can adjust:
- Character size
- Animation speed
- Glow intensity
- Brightness
- Visual support colors
- Sound
The goal is to provide different ways to make the same simple activity more accessible and engaging.
Why I made it
A lighthouse has one very important job: to be seen.
I liked the idea of beginning with a single bright target and allowing that light to reveal a larger world.
Each touch gives the learner something new to notice. The beacon grows, the beam reaches outward, and familiar shapes begin to emerge from the dark.
It's an opportunity to explore visual attention, cause and effect, and anticipation through a small, predictable story.
And when the ocean finally lights up, there's a whole scene to enjoy together.
What learners can explore
- Looking toward a clear visual target
- Noticing changes in brightness and contrast
- Following changing areas of light
- Simple cause-and-effect understanding
- Anticipating changes in a familiar sequence
- Purposeful touching
- Exploring increasingly detailed visual scenes
- Shared visual enjoyment
Who it's for
Build It apps were created with learners with cerebral visual impairment (CVI), visual impairments, and complex learning needs in mind, but they're meant to be enjoyed by many more children.
The simple interactions, adjustable visual presentations, and predictable little stories make them accessible and engaging for young children exploring cause and effect, early visual attention, and purposeful touch.
They're also designed to be shared. Parents, teachers, therapists, and caregivers can join in the anticipation, surprises, and enjoyment.
Different learners, different ways to participate. The fun belongs to everyone.
Included with the membership ($36/year)